Veterans team up

Local group represents VAMC at competition in Hawaii

July 30, 2011

Editor's note: Su Carroll, a competitor in the National Veterans Golden Age Games, has provided The Journal with a first-person report of the games and the trip to Hawaii. The following is one part of Carroll's account of the event, the adventure and personal profiles of the athletes who represented the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

MARTINSBURG - If ever there was a shining example of how wellness and fitness help with aging, it's the National Veterans Golden Age Games.

Started in 1985 in Albany, Ga., with a handful of veterans, the games have grown to almost 1,000 competitors in this year's event, held in Honolulu.

Article Photos

Submitted photosDuring the National Veterans Golden Age Games in Hawaii, members of the West Virginia team made the trip to the USS Arizona’s visitor center and inspected World War II-era ships and submarines.

West Virginia has been represented almost from the beginning, with most of the veterans coming from the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The Department of Veterans Affairs began a program to encourage veterans to get involved in their own health and fitness. As part of the program, NVGAG got them to compete in events that would not only accommodate those who were ambulatory, but also those wheelchair-bound and those with visual limitations. It has grown to be the most comprehensive sports and recreational competition in the world benefitting American veterans 55 years and older.

As more and more veterans enter the ranks of the VA, more of them are getting interested in maintaining and improving their health. In fact, the oldest competitor at this year's games was 100-year-old John Faost. Not too far behind is Robert "Sparky" Sparkes, the oldest West Virginian, who is 93 years old.

The games, now celebrating the 25th year, have been held from California to New York, from Maine to Florida, and many points in between. Each hosting VA gets to design its own medals, as long as the NVGAG logo remains part of it. Events include table tennis and shot put and discus and the less physically demanding dominos and checkers. There are events such as swimming where the wheelchair-bound compete in their own division, and the visually impared can be challenged in bowling and horseshoes. Then there are events that one can be ambulatory or wheelchair-bound such as in air rifles. There are 14 different sports open for veterans.

There are events in which males and females compete separately, and events where they compete together. But the biggest separation is by age. The age groups are 55 to 59, 60 to 64, 65 to 69, 70 to 74, 75 to 79, 80 to 84, and 85 and older. Right now, the over 70 group is the largest. While the number of female competitors grew at a much slower pace, their ranks are swelling as word of their involvement grows.

The most rewarding experience is not the competition, but the comaraderie between the veterans. It is not unusual for a veteran to find someone he or she had served with in years gone by. In fact, there is a "Wall of Heroes" where veterans can post pictures of themselves from years past in hopes of hooking up with an old shipmate.

It's not all competition and sweat at these games. There are extra curricular activities to satisfy almost any interest. At this year's event, there were a couple of luaus. The Hawaiians were proud to hold demonstrations of outrigger canoeing. In fact, many a veteran took a hand in weilding an oar.

Many took time to visit the USS Arizona, a ship that is still commissioned after being sunk on Dec. 7, 1941. One of the more moving events was being able to attend the Memorial Day Service at the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetary of the Pacific. The Punchbowl is a crater naturally created by hot lava through cracks in old coral reefs.

For many years, the male athletes have enjoyed having their pictures taken with lovely models or cheerleaders from major sports. For the first time this year, there were handsome male dancers joining the female veterans for pictures. There were plenty of souvenirs for the veterans and their guests to take back home. Very popular was the hat and Hawaiian shirt combination.

For many veterans, their VAs help them get to the games. For others, such as those in Martinsburg, they must raise the money for their own transportation and lodging. They do hold various fundraisers, including the First Golden Age Games Golf Tournament, which was a help for those going to next year's competition in St. Louis.

Whatever the event, however much they may have to work, the veteran athletes are proud to be a part of the NVGAG. They all hope to bring back the gold, but mostly, they all wish to keep happy memories, make new friends and keep healthy and fit into their old age.